Childhood best friends shot to death in retaliation of attack on suspect, court documents say
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A 19-year-old man is charged with the deadly shooting of two men after they allegedly assaulted him in north Houston, according to court documents.
The suspect, Kurt Whitten, did not attend Wednesday's court hearing when he was charged with capital murder and denied bail.
Whitten's attorneys requested a $45,000 bond due to him having no violent crimes in his criminal history, and alleging that the deceased men jumped Whitten, and argued that the deadly shooting was a self-defense action, records show.
The 19-year-old is scheduled for his first court appearance on Thursday.
A week ago on July 27, two men reportedly attacked Whitten on Aldine Westfield near Parker Road around 10 p.m., according to court documents.
After the assault, records show that Whitten gathered friends and attempted to fight his attackers.
Eyewitness testimonies align with Whitten's statement.
Police said that was the moment Whitten shot at the two men in a car.
Investigators believe that the passenger got out and was shot and killed. Then, the driver got out to check on the passenger and was also shot and killed.
Authorities reportedly believe that Whitten fired multiple shots from an AK-47.
On July 28, Eyewitness News revealed a surveillance video that provided a better look at the shooting.
You can see the surveillance footage in the video player above.
The video shows someone driving a black pickup truck traveling south on Aldine Westfield when it gets bumped by another truck that is traveling the opposite way.
The truck turns onto Parker Road and passes a white car. Then, the video shows the white car hitting another car. It was then that shots were fired at the two men in the white car, killing them.
Video from the scene shows bullet holes on the driver and passenger side of the white car.
Initially, investigators believed the two different groups had an altercation right before the shooting, but the video showed that they came from different directions.
As for the two victims, they were each found with a gun, but police said it's not clear if they ever fired back.
Family members of one of the victims identified them as childhood best friends Thomas Alvarado and Jeremiah Ponce.
SEE MORE: Childhood best friends gunned down near their former elementary school in N. Houston, family says
